Attorneys for former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum argue that Donald Trump’s claim that he “fixed” the state’s 2018 election for Ron DeSantis’ is proof that an FBI indictment against Democrat is politically and racially motivated.
Gillum has been accused of 19 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by federal authorities. His attorneys David Markus and Katherine Miller argue that all of the charges should be dropped against the former Tallahassee mayor because of Trump’s rant against DeSantis on Thursday.
“I was all in for Ron, and he beat Gillum, but after the Race, when votes were being stolen by the corrupt Election process in Broward County, and Ron was going down ten thousand votes a day, along with now-Senator Rick Scott, I sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys, and the ballot theft immediately ended, just prior to them running out of the votes necessary to win. I stopped his Election from being stolen,” Trump said in a statement posted on his social media website Truth Social.
DeSantis defeated Gillum by a 0.4 percent margin in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
DeSantis, a strong ally of Trump during his first term, was reelected on Nov. 8. His victory strengthened his role in the Republican Party as some view him as a promising contender for Trump in his third bid for the White House.
Trump released the statement to coincide with DeSantis’ mid-term election win calling him an “average” Republican before he came to his aid.
Trump announced his plans for his 2024 presidential run Tuesday, Nov. 15. DeSantis has rebuffed questions about his potential presidential campaign.
Trump said rescued the GOP governor, who he has nicknamed “Ron DeSanctimonious,” when his campaign “had completely fallen apart.”
Gillum’s attorneys in a motion filed Friday cited the former Republican president’s statement as evidence that the Black Democrat was targeted for an FBI probe, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
“Former President Trump’s posts raise serious questions about how exactly Trump ‘fixed’ DeSantis’ campaign and what Trump directed the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to do, and whether there is any connection to the FBI’s investigation and later prosecution of Gillum,” Markus and Miller wrote.
Gillum and his adviser Sharon Lettman-Hicks entered not-guilty pleas to the federal indictment on June 22. Gillum has been adamant that there has been a “target on his back.”
Federal authorities allege that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks misused more than $200,000 in campaign funds.
The indictment also accuses Gillum of accepting hotel rooms, dinners and tickets to the Broadway musical “Hamilton” from an undercover FBI agent. He is also charged with making false statements for lying about the nature of the relationship with the agent who was posing as a developer.
His attorneys now argue that Trump’s statement gives the impression of “selective prosecution (at a minimum for political purposes) because Donald Trump confirms that he took action through the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Broward County Supervisor of Elections spokesperson Ivan Castro has rebutted Trump’s remarks.
“The Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office has no documentation of any federal law enforcement presence during the 2018 elections,” Castro said. “Also, to clarify, there is no evidence of corruption during the 2018 election cycle in Broward County.”
